City star runs naked through a woodMan City boss Stuart Pearce believes the sight of defender Ben Thatcher running around a wood naked will help his players bounce back from defeat at Fulham.
Pearce took his players to the Peak District for a 48-hour boot camp during the international break.
And the former Nottingham Forest skipper reckons two days' graft in the hills is the perfect way to prevent his cosseted superstars turning soft.
Pearce said: "We do these things to just freshen them up. The players can go to Dubai on their own but I think this was about team-building and bringing us closer together.
"And when you see Ben Thatcher running about a wood wearing nothing but a blue helmet, it reinforces that.
"We did a bit of abseiling and a bit of climbing. I think when you start treating them like a bunch of tarts then you can't be surprised when they start acting in that way.
"There's a big thing at the moment saying that footballers are precious, they are this, they are that.
"Then all of a sudden if you have to worry about going away to climb over a few barrels and building a little bit of character, you start thinking ‘hang on a minute'.
"If you start treating people preciously, they start acting a little bit precious and then they won't want to start tackling out on the pitch."
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